Review: The Great Debaters

There's so much compassion in Denzel Washington's "The Great
Debaters," (IMDb listing) it makes it easy to forgive the screenplay's pandering
habits and sentimental full court press. The bottom line is, this is a
stirring portrait of African-American intelligence and pride, and if
you poured this content over Tyler Perry's head, he would melt just
like the Wicked Witch of the West.

A professor at Wiley College in Texas, Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel
Washington) was a fiery soul who challenged his gifted students by
forming a debate squad looking to take on all comers. Selecting a
group of his brightest undergraduates (including Jurnee Smollett,
Denzel Whitaker, and Nate Parker), Tolson takes his squad around the
country, coaching the debate newcomers to frequent victory. With
racial tension boiling over, Tolson's dangerous side work as a
sharecropper union organizer (and alleged communist), and the
students' own conflicts of the heart and home (embodied by Forest
Whitaker), the squad must place their differences aside and prepare
for the ultimate test: a debate with Harvard, broadcast nationwide on
the radio.

Traditionally, when a producer's name is highlighted in the marketing
of a motion picture, it's typically there for vanity reasons. With
"Great Debaters," one of the backers is Oprah Winfrey, and the name
alone might give prospective audiences a great deal of insight about
the content of this film.

This is the second movie directed by Washington ("Antwone Fisher"),
but his first with a compositional personality and resolve to set a
specific mood. Here, the location is Texas during the 1930s, where the
levels of racial hatred and cultural change were eclipsed only by the
humidity. Washington nails a stately tone from the opening moments; a
collegiate atmosphere where intelligent characters, not caricatures,
have gathered to learn and fight for their right to grow as citizens
and students. It's an emboldening thematic rush that Washington
nurtures to splendid results.

The arena of debate is the star of the show here, presenting fine
young actors extravagant monologues that are pulled off with terrific
enthusiasm â€" these talents love to act. Smollett, Whitaker, and Parker
form a captivating triangle of faces and temperaments, and Washington
knows how to photograph them for maximum emotion. Some of the best
moments are the students and their rising trust in each other,
permitting the actors time to sculpt the roles into substantial
characterizations.

Washington himself is a bit of a surprise here. His performance as the
authoritative Tolson is more ragged and mannered than previous
efforts, in an attempt to depict the coach as a rebel and freethinker,
and someone who looks to change not only his students, but the law of
the land. The union busting subplot of "Great Debaters" is the least
compelling in the movie, and distracts the pace of the picture at all
the wrong moments. Washington's take on Tolson still contains the
expected tornado of bravado, spitfire dialogue, and deafening vocal
authority, but it's also tweaked in intriguing ways, including a
snippet of some singing. This is the Denzel that needs to be seen
on screen more often.

Race was a challenge for the Wiley team, and it's a rut in an
otherwise notable film. Channeling his experience on the icky
"Remember the Titans," Washington steers "Great Debaters" into
dangerously cartoonish areas, where every single Caucasian character
is either a WASPy elitist or a sister-humpin' redneck. Each new scene
of racial conflict deflates the film more. It's a tiring ploy to bait
the audience, and for a film that's celebrating the human spirit, it's
ridiculous to see the screenplay sink so low just to find conflict.
"Great Debaters" is based on a true story, but I refuse to accept the
artificiality of these moments, especially when the rest of the film
is consumed with a complex assortment of situations.

"Great Debaters" rebounds with an emotional finale set on the Harvard
stage. Washington doesn't give in to sweetened sentiment, instead
guiding the film to a gentle lump-in-your-throat finale that pays
off the film well without a parade of tears and multiple orchestra
swells. This might not be the most dramatically insistent film of the
holiday season, but it hits all the right heartfelt notes when it
counts. Oprah should be proud.

There's so much compassion in Denzel Washington's \"The Great\nDebaters,\" (IMDb listing) it makes it easy to forgive the screenplay's pandering\nhabits and sentimental full court press. The bottom line is, this is a\nstirring portrait of African-American intelligence and pride, and if\nyou poured this content over Tyler Perry's head, he would melt just\nlike the Wicked Witch of the West.\n\n

\n\nA professor at Wiley College in Texas, Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel\nWashington) was a fiery soul who challenged his gifted students by\nforming a debate squad looking to take on all comers. Selecting a\ngroup of his brightest undergraduates (including Jurnee Smollett,\nDenzel Whitaker, and Nate Parker), Tolson takes his squad around the\ncountry, coaching the debate newcomers to frequent victory. With\nracial tension boiling over, Tolson's dangerous side work as a\nsharecropper union organizer (and alleged communist), and the\nstudents' own conflicts of the heart and home (embodied by Forest\nWhitaker), the squad must place their differences aside and prepare\nfor the ultimate test: a debate with Harvard, broadcast nationwide on\nthe radio.\n\n

\n\nTraditionally, when a producer's name is highlighted in the marketing\nof a motion picture, it's typically there for vanity reasons. With\n\"Great Debaters,\" one of the backers is Oprah Winfrey, and the name\nalone might give prospective audiences a great deal of insight about\nthe content of this film.\n\n

\n\nThis is the second movie directed by Washington (\"Antwone Fisher\"),\nbut his first with a compositional personality and resolve to set a\nspecific mood. Here, the location is Texas during the 1930s, where the\nlevels of racial hatred and cultural change were eclipsed only by the\nhumidity. Washington nails a stately tone from the opening moments; a\ncollegiate atmosphere where intelligent characters, not caricatures,\nhave gathered to learn and fight for their right to grow as citizens\nand students. It's an emboldening thematic rush that Washington\nnurtures to splendid results.\n\n

\n\nThe arena of debate is the star of the show here, presenting fine\nyoung actors extravagant monologues that are pulled off with terrific\nenthusiasm â€\" these talents love to act. Smollett, Whitaker, and Parker\nform a captivating triangle of faces and temperaments, and Washington\nknows how to photograph them for maximum emotion. Some of the best\nmoments are the students and their rising trust in each other,\npermitting the actors time to sculpt the roles into substantial\ncharacterizations.\n\n

\n\nWashington himself is a bit of a surprise here. His performance as the\nauthoritative Tolson is more ragged and mannered than previous\nefforts, in an attempt to depict the coach as a rebel and freethinker,\nand someone who looks to change not only his students, but the law of\nthe land. The union busting subplot of \"Great Debaters\" is the least\ncompelling in the movie, and distracts the pace of the picture at all\nthe wrong moments. Washington's take on Tolson still contains the\nexpected tornado of bravado, spitfire dialogue, and deafening vocal\nauthority, but it's also tweaked in intriguing ways, including a\nsnippet of some singing. This is the Denzel that needs to be seen\non screen more often.\n\n\n

\nRace was a challenge for the Wiley team, and it's a rut in an\notherwise notable film. Channeling his experience on the icky\n\"Remember the Titans,\" Washington steers \"Great Debaters\" into\ndangerously cartoonish areas, where every single Caucasian character\nis either a WASPy elitist or a sister-humpin' redneck. Each new scene\nof racial conflict deflates the film more. It's a tiring ploy to bait\nthe audience, and for a film that's celebrating the human spirit, it's\nridiculous to see the screenplay sink so low just to find conflict.\n\"Great Debaters\" is based on a true story, but I refuse to accept the\nartificiality of these moments, especially when the rest of the film\nis consumed with a complex assortment of situations.\n

\n\n\n\"Great Debaters\" rebounds with an emotional finale set on the Harvard\nstage. Washington doesn't give in to sweetened sentiment, instead\nguiding the film to a gentle lump-in-your-throat finale that pays\noff the film well without a parade of tears and multiple orchestra\nswells. This might not be the most dramatically insistent film of the\nholiday season, but it hits all the right heartfelt notes when it\ncounts. Oprah should be proud.